Lúthien Erchamion
Lúthien Erchamion, born Lúthien Tinúviel, was a Grey elf Maiden of Doriath, the wife of Beren Erchamion, and the most beautiful of all elves. Appearance and Personality Daughter of Elu and Melian the Maia, Lúthien lived as all the Elves of Doriath did: in a state of perfect blissful peace. Like all elves, she was a woman of beauty and grace, with dark hair, sparkling silver grey eyes, warm mocha skin, and a clear, heartbreakingly lovely voice that was boasted to cause winter to melt into spring. Lúthien often enjoyed dancing, escaping the city to the woods of the realm and practising relentlessly to the music of her good childhood friend Daeron's flute. He himself soon came to love her secretly, but she was oblivious and he remained silent, knowing she did not return his feelings. She had been known to be of a stubborn disposition and preferred to keep her own council, ignoring the advice or commands of others. She also tended to overthink things, as she was a perfectionist. None knew of these faults save those to whom she was closest, and was viewed by all abroad as the perfect ideal of Elven beauty and goodness. Biography Lúthien was born in the year 4700 of the Years of the Trees according to the Grey Annals. But although this is given as her date of birth in the text, it is actually unknown exactly when she came into the world, meaning that this is an approximation. At her birth, the white flower niphredil is said to have bloomed for the first time in the guarded realm of Doriath, hidden kingdom of Lúthien's father Elu Thingol and his Queen Melian. The kingdom was fenced by a barrier known as the Girdle of Melian which was formed by the power of Lúthien's Maia-mother and barred the entry of any save those granted access by the King and Queen. This meant that none except that privileged minority could find and even see the secret and hidden lands sheltered within. The Meeting of Beren and Lúthien She was the first Elf recorded to have fallen in love with a mortal, in this case a Man named Beren Erchamion from the House of Bëor whom she met in the forest of Neldoreth while she had been practicing her dancing. Initially it was Beren who first saw Lúthien from afar under moonrise beside the Glades of Esgalduin in her father's forest. From the moment he saw her with his eyes he desired her, for she was the most exotic creature he had yet seen amongst Elves and Men, in his mind the fairest of all the Children of the World. Because of this he revealed himself in the shadows wishing to be near enough to Lúthien to touch her, but Daeron her companion, noticed Beren and believed him to be a wild animal. Thus he shouted for Lúthien to flee, but at first she stood there unmoving, as she had never experienced fear or pain in her life and was confused. Then she saw Beren's shadow and was disturbed, making her dash away quickly, believing indeed it to be an animal stalking her in the woods. Unable to speak to the frighteningly beautiful woman he had just witnessed, Beren withdrew in defeat, longing for her in his heart and calling her Tinúviel, an Elvish (Sindarin) name which means "Daughter of Twilight" signifying Nightingale. It was long ere he saw her again by chance one day in summer when Lúthien was again practicing dancing on a green hill surrounded by hemlocks, alone this time and singing in her mother's tongue. Upon seeing her again, he called out to her by the name Tinúviel, for he did not know her by any other name. Startled and mortified to be caught in the middle of her practice, Lúthien paid no heed to Baron's compliments on her singing and dancing, taking his teasing and flirtatious manner to mean that he was trying to provoke her with such a nickname as "Nightingale". After a thorough berating of the bemused and besotted Man for intruding on her in her own forest, a completely justified lecture in her own mind, she demanded to know how he, a mortal, had found the secret Elvish realm in the first place. When Beren refused to divulge how he came to be there, Lúthien fled from his frustrating presence, but she could not forget about him, nor he her. Soon it came to pass that Lúthien and Beren were meeting regularly in the forest, and had quickly they fallen in love. When first he kissed her on the lips, she slipped away from him in a fluster and he fell into a deep sleep of grief and bliss. But in his hour of despair, when he was groping to see the light of her countenance once more, she appeared before him, and in the Hidden Kingdom set her hand in his and cradled his head against her breast. They continued to meet secretly and conducted a clandestine relationship, and none before or after were as happy as they were, walking through the woods together hand-in-hand. The Quest of the Silmaril However this joy did not last. Daeron, who was her partner in music and dance, espied her meetings with Beren and reported this to her father. This was not out of spite, but because he also loved Lúthien but his love was not reciprocated. Secondly he cared greatly for her, thinking that this mortal man would bring her into trouble, possibly even death. When Thingol eventually thus informed of their amour, the king was desperate not to let Beren marry his daughter, for she was not only the cherished daughter of the first and most powerful Elven-king in Beleriand, but also the only daughter of a Maia, a powerful angelic being of the race of the Ainur, who had existed since before time and creation itself. Beren on the other hand, was a mortal man on the run from the Dark Lord Morgoth and an outlaw, without father and exiled from the land of his kin. Whilst Lúthien had lived for thousands of years in the world already, Beren was young even by human standards. Thus in wroth, and though Melian warned her husband against it, Thingol set a seemingly impossible task as the bride price for Lúthien's hand: Beren had to bring him one of the Silmarils from Morgoth's iron crown. He did not kill him outright since he had promised Lúthien that he would spare his life, and because of his renown. Beren left Menegroth immediately and Lúthien remained grieving. The Vision and Imprisonment of Lúthien Afterwards Lúthien had a vision in which she saw Beren lying suffering in the hellish pits of the Lord of Wolves, and horror weighed upon her heart. She sought the counsel of her mother who told her that Beren was indeed captive in the dungeons of Sauron, the Dark Lord's evil Regent. Because of this Lúthien decided that she must risk her life to save him, and face Sauron herself. She asked her friend Daeron for help, who, thinking it was best for his beloved, betrayed her secret to Thingol. To keep her safe, the King had her locked and guarded high in the branches of the great beech tree of Doriath. Daeron was filled with remorse. Lúthien forgave him, and devised a plan to escape. From her mother Lúthien inherited great magical power. She enchanted her long locks into a cloak that lulled her guards to sleep, and she ran out of her prison. Lúthien's Captivity and the defeat of Sauron On her way to rescue Beren, she was found by Huan, the Hound of Valinor, and taken to his master Celegorm and his brother Curufin. Celegorm, enamoured of her unmatched beauty and coveting her family's status, plotted to force her to marry him. Concealing his passion, he offered to help her quest, asking her to first follow him to Nargothrond. When she arrived, they held her hostage and forbade her to talk to anyone else. Huan took pity on her and, betraying his master, freed her. He was granted the power to speak only three times in his life, but he spoke to her on this occasion, and together they escaped from Nargothrond. They came to Sauron's Isle, and Lúthien sang a call to Beren. He answered, thinking it was only a figment of his imagination. Sauron, also hearing her song, sought to catch her as a delectable prize for his master Morgoth. He sent wolf after wolf to slay Huan, but each time the hound killed them, even his most powerful werewolf Draugluin. Finally going himself, Sauron transformed into the most powerful of all werewolves. Huan flinched, but Lúthien smothered Sauron's lunge in the folds of her enchanted cloak, giving Huan an opening to grapple him. The three fought for long, with Sauron changing into different shapes, but Huan bested him. Finally Lúthien forced the defeated Sauron to surrender the keys of his tower, before he fled shamefaced in the shape of a vampire. Lúthien destroyed the Tower and freed its prisoners. Finding Beren lying beside the dead body of Felagund, she thought him dead also. She fell down beside him in grief, but with the rising sun he awoke to find his lover, and they were reunited. They buried Finrod Felagund on his Isle. Huan returned to his master Celegorm, and the lovers walked the woods once more in joy. Of Celegorm, Curufin and the dance of Lúthien before Morgoth Beren, mindful of Luthien's high estate as an Elvish princess, pleaded with her to return to her father. Lúthien refused and confessed her undying love for Beren, but just before their embrace, there appeared Celegorm and Curufin, the Sons of Fëanor. Lúthien's escape from Nargothrond had led to the brothers' exile. Seeking revenge, the brothers fought Beren, and Huan again forsook his master and fought on the side of Lúthien. Finally Beren defeated and shamed them, though he spared their lives at Luthien's command. Beren stole one of their horses, but as they fled, Curufin aimed a shot of his bow at Lúthien. Beren jumped in front of the arrow and took the blow. Huan chased the brothers until they vanished and came back to aid Lúthien. By Lúthien's magic and love Beren was restored to life. As she slept, he gave her into the care of Huan and went in quest of Angband. When Lúthien discovered Beren missing, she and Huan disguised themselves as Thuringwethil the vampire servant of Morgoth and Draugluin the Werewolf. She found Beren and joined his quest. Luthien as vampire and Beren as werewolf came to the gates of Angband and its sentinel the mighty werewolf Carcharoth. Lúthien, possessed by the ancient angelic power in her blood, forced him into a deep slumber. Together they reached the Throne of Morgoth, and here the Dark Lord saw through Lúthien's disguise. She declared herself and offered to sing for Morgoth, and, filled with an evil lust, he accepted. But in listening, he laid himself open to Luthien's enchantment, which glamoured Morgoth and his entire court into a deep sleep, sealed with her cloak over Morgoth's eyes. She awoke Beren, and he cut a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown using Angrist. However, as he tried for another Silmaril, his blade broke, struck Morgoth's cheek, and awakened him, though his whole army still slept. When Luthien and Beren fled as far as the gates, Carcharoth attacked them. Beren, wanting to protect the weakening Lúthien, thrust the Silmaril into the wolf's face, but the wolf bit off the hand and swallowed the Silmaril. The hound fled in terror, leaving Lúthien cradling a mortally wounded Beren in her arms, with the hosts of Angband on their heels. The Wolf's fangs were poisonous and so Lúthien sucked out the venom and with her failing power tried to restore him. But just when all hope seemed lost, the Eagles of Manwë snatched them into the sky away from the angry hordes. They had come at the summons of Huan, and they carried the two to safety in Doriath. The Return to Doriath and the death of Beren Here Lúthien waited by Beren's side and healed him. Then together they entered Doriath and stood before the throne of Lúthien's father. Beren told Thingol that the quest was, indeed, fulfilled, and that he held a Silmaril in his hand. When Thingol demanded to see it, Beren showed him his stump. When he heard their story he was amazed and thought Beren to be above all other mortal men. Because of this he allowed them to marry, and they did so before his throne that day. But at this time Carcharoth was ravaging all living beings on the borders of Doriath, in a crazed fit because of the burning jewel in his stomach. And so Beren, Thingol, Huan the Hound of Valinor, Mablung of the Heavyhand and Beleg Strongbow went out with other Elves to defeat the beast. In this Beren was assaulted by the wolf. Huan then leaped to his aid and killed the beast, but died soon after from mortal wounds, by his friend Beren's side. Then Beren was carried to Doriath where he died in Lúthien's arms, after she bade him to await her by the great sea in the afterlife. Lúthien becomes mortal for Beren In grief, Lúthien lay down and died as well, going to the Halls of Mandos, where the spirits of the dead await re-embodiment in Valinor (for Elves) and departure from the circles of the world entirely (for Men). There she sang a song of woe before the throne of Mandos Lord of the Dead, of the tribulations and suffering of both Elves and Men, the greatest ever sung, so touching that Mandos was moved to pity for the first time. As a result, he summoned Beren from the houses of the dead and Lúthien's spirit met his once again by the shores of the sea. Lúthien knew that this would be their final meeting, since Beren could not remain on the earth beyond his time and she was thus faced with the prospect of eternal widowhood. Mandos consulted with Manwë, King of Arda. Even Manwë could not change the fate of Men, and so he presented Lúthien with the only choice possible, the choice of the Half-elven: to live in the immortal land of Valinor, where she could forget all her grief and enjoy eternal happiness along with her people and the Gods (Valar) but without Beren, or to return to the land of Middle-earth together with Beren as a mortal herself, accepting the Doom of Men and sharing in whatever unknown fate awaits them outside the Circles of the World. She chose this latter option. With this she accepted death, and although it was not the fate of her race, she relinquished everything for Beren and became a mortal woman. Together in their new bodies they returned to Doriath and released the winter of Thingol, who had been in grieving ever since his daughter's death. But Melian could not look at first into her daughter's eyes, since she could see the doom of mortality written in them and she knew that Lúthien would be parted from her forever and leave the material world behind with Beren, when the time came for her to die. Melian on the other hand would exist forever until the end of Arda, as Lúthien should have if she had not become mortal for her husband. By nature she was still Elven, and was so in everything except eternal life, meaning that her child would still have immortal blood through her. Return to Life, and Death After returning to life, they dwelt together in Ossiriand as husband and wife until after the sack of Menegroth. They had a son, Dior, called Eluchíl — the Heir of Thingol. Years later, Thingol received the Nauglamír from Húrin the Steadfast in payment for the fostering of Húrin's son Túrin, as well as for the care of Húrin's wife Morwen and daughter Niënor. Húrin had recovered the Nauglamír from the ruins of Nargothrond following the departure of Glaurung the dragon. Thingol decided to unite the greatest work of the Dwarves with the greatest work of the Elves, and recruited Dwarf smiths from the city of Nogrod to complete his plan. Thingol was murdered by the Dwarves after he insulted them, and a tale told by the escaping Dwarves led to the sack of Menegroth. The Dwarves plundered Thingol's treasuries and took with them the Nauglamír. However, Beren and an army of Green Elves and Ents waylaid the returning Dwarf army (this was the only recorded event of the First Age in which the Ents actually took part). While the greater part of the treasure of Doriath fell into the river Ascar, Beren reclaimed the Nauglamír, and Beren and Lúthien kept the necklace and the great jewel until the end of their lives. It is said that the beauty of Lúthien combined with the splendour of the gem and necklace was to make her home of Tol Galen the fairest land ever to have existed east of Valinor, but that the Silmaril hastened Beren's and Lúthien's end, since Lúthien's beauty with the Silmaril around her neck was too bright for mortal lands to bear. Lúthien Tinúviel gave up her life along with her husband Beren in the fair, green land of Ossiriand where their son and grandchildren had been born. The Elves never recovered from her death, since she alone of the Quendi had left the world, the fairest and bravest of their race. The Nauglamír was delivered to her son Dior Eluchíl. While Lúthien wore the necklace no one dared assail her, but when Dior took it up the Sons of Fëanor, motivated by their unholy oath, ransacked the kingdom of Doriath and slew Dior and his wife Nimloth. Elrond the Half-elven and Arwen Evenstar are descendants of Lúthien, as is Aragorn a descendant of Elrond's brother Elros. According to legend, her line will never be broken. Category:Doriathians Category:Females Category:Grey Elves